Yesterday, Adams said he found it "absurd" that Bender could be relied on to be an independent commission member, and today more clear evidence of Republican unease with the former DOJ attorney came about.

Observers wouldn’t be wise to bet on Arizona Chief Justice Rebecca Berch granting Adams and Pearce’s request for a new redistricting nominee selection process, one member of the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments told our reporter.

One letter even led the Commission on Appellate Court Nominees, the body charged with choosing nominees for the Redistricting Commission, to seek a legal opinion on the eligibility of a candidate, law professor Paul Bender.

Arizona is gearing up for the once-a-decade job of drawing new political boundaries for the state. The Arizona version of redistricting, as the drawing of new maps of congressional and legislative districts is called, involves blowing up current districts and starting from scratch, says the Independent Redistricting Commission's former chairman.